Contact:
Stephanie Giralmo, Public Relations & Media Manager
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
p 425.457.7067

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MBAKS Builds Ramps to Give Mobility Freedom to Those in Need

BELLEVUE, Wash., May 23, 2022—Since 1993 the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) has built more than 500 wheelchair access ramps for families in need. Built by MBAKS members and community volunteers, these ramps provide a much-needed benefit for those who struggle to get themselves or their loved ones safely in and out of their homes.

“Rampathon is one of our signature community stewardship programs at MBAKS which we look forward to every year,” says Jerry Hall, Interim Executive Director, Chief Operating and Financial Officer at MBAKS. “We are so grateful to our members, who lend their time and expertise to provide mobility freedom to individuals and families within our community.”

This year MBAKS built 20 different mobility ramps for deserving families across King and Snohomish Counties and showcased 16-year-old Lucas Golla-Patsula. At 4 months, Lucas started having seizures and is unable to walk or talk. Confined to a stroller and wheelchair since infancy, the current ramp at Lucas’ home is in disrepair and unsafe. MBAKS member, Carlisle Classic Homes, built a new ramp for the family to aid in ease of mobility and safety.

In addition to the 18 member companies that volunteered to be a part of this year’s program, long term signature sponsor Dunn Lumber provided support by donating funds to help provide lumber at no cost.

“Giving back to our local community members is very important to Blackwood Builders Group, and Rampathon is just one of several ways we give back to the communities we serve,” said Trevor Johnson, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackwood Builders Group. “We’ve been building ramps for community members in need for 4 years and look forward to participating in the program every year.”

About MBAKS

Founded in 1909 and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) is the nation’s oldest and largest local homebuilders’ association. Like our founders, our members continue to take a leading role in all facets of homebuilding and support the planning for a growing region. From new technology to advances in sustainability, from collaborative public policy efforts to investing in our communities, our commitment to a thriving, inclusive and well-planned region never wavers. We are the professional homebuilders, architects, remodelers, tradespeople (carpenters, framers, roofers, plumbers, electricians), planners and engineers, suppliers, manufacturers, and sales and marketing professionals in your community who believe everyone deserves access to a healthy and productive place to call home.

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Contact: Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties | pr@mbaks.com

NEW REPORTS SHOW LOCAL POLICIES UNDERMINE HOUSING GOALS

SEATTLE, Wash., August 27, 2025 – The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) released two new reports showing how certain local policies are falling short as an effective affordable housing strategy. The reports provide technical information for local policymakers to support successful implementation of state laws aimed at lowering barriers for construction of more homes of all types.

The first report – Mandatory Affordable Housing Fees Carry Unintended Consequences – finds that such fees disproportionately raise barriers to middle housing projects, often making them financially infeasible and preventing them from being built. It also critiques a report relied upon by many Eastside cities to update and adopt mandatory affordable housing fees.

The second report – How Nexus Studies Misunderstand the Affordable Housing Challenge – highlights a core flaw in the logic underpinning many nexus studies local jurisdictions rely upon to justify imposing mandatory affordable housing fees. This report refutes the assumption that new market-rate housing is the primary driver of the need for affordable housing, in part because this framework ignores the broader supply shortage. It also shows that if newer homes cannot be built, higher-income owners and renters remain in what would historically be lower-cost homes accessible to more people, including first time buyers.

“The reports provide information for policymakers supporting how well-intentioned mandatory affordable housing programs can be counterproductive to achieving more affordable housing,” said Jerry Hall, executive director of MBAKS. “They also illustrate how these programs limit progress on our shared work to ensure everyone has a place to call home. The reports show that we do not address the need for affordable housing by making housing more expensive.”

MBAKS commissioned ECOnorthwest, an independent public policy research firm, to prepare the reports to better inform local dialogue on affordable housing strategies. They are part of a series of reports from MBAKS demonstrating flaws in mandatory affordable housing policies.

MBAKS has also prepared a Legal Memorandum describing the implications of mandatory affordable housing fees under recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding “unconstitutional conditions.” It explains how mandatory programs raise constitutional issues under the rulings requiring a showing of a “nexus” and “rough proportionality.” 

ABOUT MBAKS
The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) is the nation’s oldest and largest local homebuilders association, helping to make home happen since 1909. 

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The number of multifamily permits pulled in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties rose 53 percent during the first quarter of 2017, compared to the same period last year. Single-family permits declined 8 percent. Meanwhile, King and Snohomish counties continue to see less than a months’ supply of housing inventory for sale during April. The low supply coupled with strong demand has continued to drive home prices up.

The Builder’s Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, U.S. Census Bureau, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Download this month's report: